Just as he finished speaking, unhurried footsteps sounded at the mouth of the alley.
Big Yellow's ears pricked up first. She pulled her head out of Dema's hands, glanced toward the alley entrance, and began wagging her tail in small swishes.
Before Dema could react, a figure had stepped out of the shadows.
The newcomer looked to be in his early twenties. His short, silvery-white hair gleamed coldly beneath the streetlight, and his features were sharp. With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, an ill-fitting black tracksuit, and canvas shoes loosely slipped onto his feet, he had a thoroughly devil-may-care air.
He stopped below the steps, whistled at Big Yellow, and called out with a broad grin,
"Little Yellow!"
Big Yellow immediately bounced off the steps, her tail spinning like a windmill, and rushed over to rub her head against his legs.
The young man crouched, cupped Big Yellow's face in both hands, and gave it a couple of rubs. He even leaned in to sniff her.
Dema stared, dumbfounded, then turned to shout into the shop,
"Boss, who's this?"
Wen Ning looked up from behind the counter. The sight of that silvery-white head at the door made his mouth twitch.
"Howling Celestial Dog."
The potato chip fell out of Dema's mouth.
"What? That white-haired dog is a person?"
Howling Celestial Dog looked up and rolled his eyes at Dema.
"You only just figured that out? When did I ever say I was a dog? I'm a divine beast from the Celestial Realm. What's wrong with taking human form? Stop making such a fuss."
Wen Ning leaned against the counter, watching the man and dog fawn over each other at the entrance, and asked,
"What brings you here?"
Howling Celestial Dog rubbed Big Yellow's ears without looking up.